Ceramic - Eiraku Myozen - Japan - 1900

Rare and precious sweet bowl for the tea ceremony (Kashiki / 菓子器) in Hakeme (刷毛目) style, made by Eiraku Myozen (永樂妙全, 1852–1927), fourteenth generation of the renowned Eiraku ceramic dynasty, among the historic Senke Jissoku families, official suppliers to the tea ceremony masters.
The Eiraku dynasty is universally celebrated in the history of Japanese art for its sumptuous, elaborate creations decorated with polychrome enamels, vibrant glazes, and refined Kinrande gilding. In this context, the work proves exceptional: it is a cultured and intimate Utsushi (写し) — the technical Japanese term for a learned and reverent artist’s homage — to the great austere tradition of primitive tea ceramics. Rather than the family workshop’s decorative opulence, Myozen here engages with a purely rustic, sober, and essential language, giving life to a piece likely born from a special commission directly from the Iemoto (the Grand Masters and heads of the school) of the Senke houses for the most reserved and intimate ceremonies.
The piece stands out for its intense material work and for the glaze-on-white engobe painting applied with quick brushstrokes on the dark clay: the Hakeme gesture is not mere decoration, but an intentionally natural and spontaneous act that expresses the beauty of imperfection and perfectly reflects Zen philosophy and the Wabi-sabi aesthetic. At the base, the clay bears the original master’s seal, partially and elegantly veiled by the vitrified glaze of firing (glaze-covered mark), a typical and authentic manufacturing characteristic of the period.
What makes the work even more extraordinary is the history of its author: after her husband Tokuzen’s death in 1909, Eiraku Myozen (1852–1927) bravely took the reins of the family workshop, guiding the production until 1927. She is a historically revolutionary figure: the only woman in Japan at the time to lead one of the prestigious Senke Jissoku laboratories, a patriarchal role traditionally reserved for men. In this twenty-year period of female leadership, her skill and artistic sensibility elevated the Eiraku workshop to the highest levels of collecting and scholarly esteem.
To guarantee full authenticity and invaluable collecting value, the piece comes with its Tomobako (the original period wooden box), signed by the master with the corresponding ink-stamp imprints. The box, entirely original to the Late Meiji / Taisho period, preserves a wonderful patina of time with the natural darkening of the wood perfectly coherent with its age. The piece’s provenance is extraordinary: after her husband Tokuzen (the 13th head of the Eiraku family) died, Myozen courageously took control of the prestigious family workshop and guided it with masterful skill for over twenty years. During her career, her production evolved through clearly defined stylistic phases, meticulously cataloged by the Kyoto National Museum’s scientific study (Kyoto National Museum Bulletin No. 19 - Research on Eiraku Workshop Seals and Signatures, reference publications available at the link: https://www.kyohaku.go.jp/jp/learn/assets/publications/knm-bulletin/19/019_ronbun_b.pdf
The calligraphy on this box belongs to the mature artistic phase of the mistress, classified as Writing V, characterized by its fluent and confident stroke with which she signed “Eiraku.” It is accompanied by her definitive authentication marks: the Dark Ink Seal K and the precious Vermilion Seal L “Yū” (“悠”). The latter bears the ritual character Yū (“Eternity / Tranquility”), a distinctive and exclusive mark used by Myozen to brand the boxes of pieces of the highest quality and craftsmanship destined for the grand tea masters. The perfect cross-match of Writing V, Seal K, and Vermilion Seal L stands as the philological proof of authenticity for the work.
For complete collecting transparency, it should be noted that the two internal wooden reinforcing slats on the lid of the Tomobako have been reglued in a recent period with modern glue to ensure structural stability. The ceramic piece is presented in excellent condition, free of warps, chips, or later restorations. An object of the highest scholarly and philological profile, rarely available on the Western market, intended for demanding collectors of Kyo-yaki ceramics and the art of tea (Chado).